I use a Blur song as the title of this TR because I think it fits perfectly.
After years without a real holiday, at the beginning of 2014 I decide it is the right time to take the lady on a trip to the US western parks. I understand most of you FTers are Americans – you will not see any exotic destination here. But for a European, that has been quite a trip, and one of the things I had in my once-in-a-lifetime list.
Having this trip in 2014 is ideal because:
- I have some money left (strange if not incredible)
- Being CFP I can use the business upgrade on the way to the US
- Having some miles to burn I can also upgrade the flight on the way back
Playing with Matrix I manage to get this basic itinerary:
FCO-LAX-FCO for 2400 € total. This includes FCO-LAX in Y (booking class upgradeable to J with AZ BusinessForYou) and LAX-FCO in T (upgradeable to J with 35k miles per person).
Good, but I can do better. I then try to add PHX, since my itinerary will lead me there: 2200 € total.
Good, but I can still do better. I add LIN on return (since Mme straniera will have to fly to LIN anyway): 2000 € total. Ok, now I am happy with the results. I know I can still do better – or save money using other booking classes. But this is not a mileage run, it’s a holiday, and besides, I can score two J flights at what I consider a fair price: 1000 € per person.
I call CFP call center and in some 30 minutes, adjusting the flight dates, I have my tickets reserved with confirmed upgrades. Due to unavailability of upgrade space on the way back, I opt for a LAX-JFK-FCO.
The final itinerary is then:
FCO-LAX (AZ J) – LAX-PHX (DL Y)
LAX-JFK (DL Y) – JFK-FCO (AZ J) – FCO-LIN (AZ Y)
During this trip we will see, in this order:
Phoenix – Oak Creek – Grand Canyon – Flagstaff – Monument valley – Lake Powell – St. George – Zion national – Bryce Canyon – Kodachrome basin – Dixie forest – Brian Head (!) – Salt Lake City – Idaho Falls – Yellowstone – San Francisco – Stockton – Yosemite – Tulare – Sequoia – Ridgecrest – Death valley – Rhyolite – Las Vegas – Los Angeles.
Red for the car, blue for flights, trains or buses:
The final program looks like this: 14 days, ~6000 mi / 10000 km, 14 Hilton properties, 2 hand luggages and 2 bags, 4 rented cars, 3 buses, 2 internal flights and 1 train – the California Zephyr! Things will change during the holiday, thanks to a landslide and a bunch of hobos, but not so much.
We will not be able to explore everything top to bottom, but at least we will get a grasp of everything and may decide to come back someday to the most impressive places.
Day 1
Fast forward a couple of months and it’s departure day!
We head for the airport using the dirty local train and get past immigration in a minute.
The plane – not very visible from my position:
The lounge is meh, like every other airside lounge at FCO:
but luckily after a little while it’s boarding time.
FCO-LAX
AZ 620
10:20 22:25 (14:25 local)
Seat 05E / 05G (J)
Gates open and I am immediately selected for hand luggage check. Now, I have nothing against baggage checks – they sort of make me feel better knowing someone does some actual checks sometimes. What irritates me is the guard rummaging through my things without wearing gloves. After my remark gloves magically appear, though. Since I’m not carrying anything illegal (or at least I’m very good at hiding… hey, just kidding!) they let me go and we can reach our seats.
Some pics of the cabin:
The very private 5L seat:
Rest of the cabin:
View from the seat:
Compared to my last AZ TATL flight, which I carefully reviewed
here, this plane seems clean and less worn out.
Now, one small excursus about Mme straniera. She is worried because it’s her first flight outside of Europe, she is not a huge fan of flying (ye, I know… she must have other qualities /angel) and it will last 14+ hours. Even though I spent the last three weeks mentioning how on a big plane you feel turbulences way less and how the flights are mostly uneventful, she spent the last three weeks claiming she will be too worried to even get out of her seat to go the bathroom and she will be scared for 14+ hours by any unnatural noise she hears.
Knowing that all, I opt for a shock therapy made of booze and ugly movies. This proved to work on several other occasions and I am confident it will work this time as well.
The difference is noticeable: here she is after sitting down, pretending to be calm and smiling (the black stripes ruin the effect but I need to protect the innocents):
and here she is after welcome-on-board sparkles and red wines during lunch:
As you can see, a smile is appearing on her cheeks. Mission accomplished! I am also happy to report she managed to get up from her seat at least 4 times, and she also *dared* to open the curtain on the galley window to see outside. Upon landing she said: lovely! And in a minute, she was convinced to RTW in 2015. But that’s another story, and hopefully another TR.
Back to this TR, shortly after takeoff tables are set and lunch starts.
Standard AZ layout. I love the salt and pepper thingies:
Choice of wines: Montefalcone rosso DOP Colpetrone 2001 and Joel Vigneti Storici Garda DOP Classico Groppello Ca’ Maiol 2011: 9 / 10. As usual, no pics, but lots of glasses.
Country style cheesed filled pizza: 8 / 10. Good. Far better than the frozen carrots from my other TR.
FAs bring the tray to the cabin and prepare the dish in front of you, asking what pasta you want (both) and how much you want (much):
Matera style cavatelli and basil and tomato pasta: 10 / 10. Yummi! Being Italian, I am picky about three things, and one of these is food. Eating pasta al dente on a plane makes me happy. Double round and I’m ready for the main course.
Bari style veal: 8 / 10. Soft and tender, very tasteful.
Licorice cake: 9 / 10. I also eat my gf’s since she’s stuffed.
Dessert wine: Semèle Montefalco Sagrantino Passito DOCG Signae Cesarini Sartori 2007 barely visible on the left: 8 / 10. I’m not a huge fan of passito, but it is good nonetheless. This sentence is copied over from the other TR, as is the wine.
Several glasses of red wine after, it’s time for some pics. We are there:
Golly gosh, the banchisa!
The flight goes on uneventful and I can get some sleep. I also remember watching a movie but cannot remember which one.
Fully lie flat:
Trying crosswords after all the wine is bad.
Somewhere between here
and there
breakfast is served.
Breakfast: 7,5 / 10. I was still stuffed and did not enjoy it as much as I could. My vote could have been higher otherwise.
After landing in time, we get to the immigration and clear it in less than 10 minutes. I think this is one of the perks of being among the first to disembark, in fact while we get out I see hordes and hordes of people approaching and I’m happy to be through already.
This thing moves. Not in my pic, but it moves.
We change terminal and get to Delta lounge:
I can’t think of a single reason why I would photograph the roof, but here goes:
After 3 long hours it’s time to board the flight to PHX.
LAX-PHX
DL 4598
18:06 19:27
Seats 05A 05B (Y)
Just a quick shot of the cabin:
and a hanging plane (I think we’re in PHX already – after 16 hours of flight, 3 hours of wait and with my body thinking it’s 5 am the day after I am feeling a bit dizzy)
We get to the Phoenix Hilton Garden Inn:
